Single-cell power supplies compatible with thermal printhead

Unlike inkjet and laser printers, thermal printers operate quietly and do not use ink or require large toner cartridges. As such they have been adopted in barcode printers for logistics, quality processing, and medical applications as well as retail POS (Point of Sales) receipt printers and fax machines. However, due to the trade-off between print energy and print quality it is common to use thermal printheads requiring 2-cell li-ion battery drive.

In contrast, the KR2002-D06N10A utilises special low resistance heat elements along with an optimised glaze design to improve heat storage characteristics. In addition, developing a new structure that combines a ceramic substrate with printed circuit board makes it possible to improve applied energy efficiency by 20% over ROHM’s conventional 2-cell drive products, enabling a reduction in head size.

Reviewing these fundamental structures and materials allowed ROHM to maintain print quality even with single-cell drive, contributing to greater device miniaturisation and energy savings.

And following the trend in recent years in the mobile terminal market for increased print quality and speed along with greater energy savings, compactness, and lighter weight, the demand for single-cell drive thermal printheads for receipt applications will continue to grow.

Single-cell drive reduces power consumption
Special low resistance heat elements together with a high efficiency energy storage layer are used to improve printing efficiency. In addition, adopting a 2-body construction that combines a ceramic substrate with printed circuit board, along with a high efficiency IC which minimises ON resistance and further increases efficiency while suppressing energy loss, due to wiring.

The result is 20% higher applied energy efficiency compared to conventional 2-cell drive products (KA2002-B35N10A), making it possible to achieve single-cell drive that contributes to lower power consumption.

Achieves high print quality while maintaining printing speed
Special low resistance heat elements enable the KR2002-D06N10A to deliver equivalent print density and quality as standard 2-cell TPHs, even with half the applied voltage.

20% smaller than conventional products (KA2002-B35N10A series)
Utilising a 2-body structure comprised of a ceramic substrate and printed circuit board allowed ROHM to decrease head size by 20% over its conventional series. This made it possible to switch from 2-cell to 1-cell drive, reducing the number of batteries required and meeting the needs of mobile terminals for greater miniaturisation.